Dallmayr Coffee feels very much connected to Ethiopia, the land of coffee’s origin. To support the country and Menschen für Menschen, Dallmayr has produced a new blend: Dallmayr Ethiopia. For every package sold, Dallmayr will plant five tree seedlings.

In the Sahel alone, huge regions of agricultural land are turning into desert. Ethiopia’s forests have shrunken and now only make up 3% of the land. There are many causes: overgrazing, deforestation as a means for needed firewood, and population growth and climate changes leading to erosion of the ground. As a result, fertile lands are washed and/or blown away.

Menschen für Menschen’s tree nurseries grow as many as seven million tree seedlings each year and distribute them to farmers; this is seen an instrument for reforestation. Fruit and acacia trees are the most-loved tree varieties, as the fruits can be sold at the market. Reforestation projects as well as the distribution of clay ovens that use wood sparingly are part of Menschen für Menschen’s plan to not only preserve the land’s tree population, but to expand it.